Friction clutch



oarfied by each shoe 2f to yieldably ufge or preSS the shoes inwardly of Tadially t() bring the inner curved suffaoes 24 thereof into frictiona1 engage 1T1ent With the Shaft f I to operatively conneot the roller f2 thefeto, as is apparent ffon1 3n inSpeC e bfake shoeS Z l are thuS yie1d ably held againSt the shaft l l by the aotion of the Spfing 22.

The openingS 2n in the hub l3 aTe pTeferably S1ghtIy larger than the shoes 2I So that the 1'()11e1- I iS entiTely free of the brake shoes, aS hovvnfn ig. 2 except When the shaft is being driven, fhen, howeveT, the Shaft f iS Totated in the direction of the aTow, ig. 2, the shaft 1oveS Sligfltly relative to the To11eI lZ to bring the foe 25 of the opposite bTake ShoeS 2f 1fo engagenent Wih the sideS 26 of the opening 2n. tTpon Such enageInent, the Toller l2 is then dTiven by andis rotated as a unit vvith the drive shaft f L Would then engage the othef SideS 23- of the opon? ing 28 to conIfect the Tolle1'in dving enggeIne 1t with the Sha1 f l f, foT any Teason, the loaoon the Toller lZ increaseS beyond aapl'edeterfninod vallZe, the s111faces 24 of the bTake hoeS 2f xdll Slip on the Shaft l f to retafd of Stop the otafion of the ro1le and thus lin1it the propulsive effoTt applied to the 1In the advantages of Which ofe obvious.

t is thuS apparent from the above descripfion that the preSent invention provideS av friction clHtoh vrhich opeTatively connectS the filn1 pTo pelling foller t() the dfive shaft, and vVhich av1so a11ows the f()11eI' to slip on the shaft vvfle11 the tenSion of the m stTip Teaches o prodeteTmined value.

obvi ouSly, if the shaft vvere rotated in the opposite. difection, the opposite faces 2T of the shoes 2f vVhile one en1bodin1ent of the invention has been discloSed, it iS to be underStood that the inventive idea nlay be caTried out in a nun1ber of wayS. This app1ication is therefore not to be Hrnited to the preciSe detanS deScribed, but is intended to cover a11 vaTiations and InodicationS thereof whioh fa11 Within thespirit of the inven tion of the scope of the appended claiIns.

1. A friction olutch ooInprising o dTiven Shaft, a I'o11eT 1oosely Inonnted on Said Shaft and forlned With a. pair of dianletrically arranged radia1 ope11i11gs,. a clutch nlen1ber slidably Inounted in each of Said openings and TadiaHyInovable thefein to engage said Shaf to operatively oonnect the 1ate1 to said ToIleT, anda ushaped SpTing hav ing the ends tflereof Secu1ed to said dia1T1etrica11y aT nged o111tof1 Inefflbers to yieldably pI'esS Said olutoIT n1enbers radially to frictionally engage :pairof fTiction fnenbeTS positioned in said openingsand fTictionally engagingoaid Shaft to Totate thefewith,-said InefnbefS being s1ighfly sffla]1ef tharn Said openingS So aS to be ffee to Inove radi ally therein bLlt adaped to engage sides of Said openingS to provide the sole drivng oonnection betvveen Said n1en1bers and Sid TolleT, and ou Spring independen of Said Tollelond: connecting Said nTeInberS to yieldably urge the latteT inwad1yinto frictiona1 enggeTnent With Said shaft- BINAR W. JENSEN, CHARLBS E. IvES. 

